Research #4: SDSU’s Shocking Statistics on the Employment of Women in Hollywood

For my fourth piece of research, I analyzed the research study, “Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 100, 250, and 500 Films of 2016”, sponsored by San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television in Film. The reports details statistics of women’s employment on the top grossing films in 2016, as well as other historic years. Not only has the representation of women working behind the scenes declined 2 percentage points since 2015, but this staggering report of women comprising 17% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers on the “top 250 domestic grossing films” is EVEN with the percentage reported in 1988.

The study proceeds to compare the percentages of women employed behind the scenes on the top 250 films during 1998, 2006, 2015, and 2016. Overall, the research concludes that women had the BEST opportunities for jobs during 2015. The only job in which more women were employed during 2016 verses in 2015 was as writers. 2006 seemed to be the WORST year for women, as they were offered the least amount of jobs than any of the other years. The most shocking statistic is that 1998 and 2016 had the most SIMILAR percentages of women employed. In fact, more women were employed as directors, executive producers, and editors in 1998 than in 2016.

These percentages are extremely upsetting to the female workforce in the entertainment industry. I hope that with the release of these statistics and the focus on the underrepresentation of women working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry, we can INCREASE these percentages in 2017.

Lauzen, Martha M. “The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 100, 250, and 500 Films of 2016.” Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, 2017. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.